This application is a national stage application filed under 35 U.S.C. 371 of international application serial no. PCT/JP98/02355, filed May 28, 1998.
The present invention relates to a method for producing decorative food having a pattern in two or more distinct colors by introducing a plurality of food materials of different colors, such as fluidized chocolate materials, into a mold; nozzle assemblies for such a method; and decorative chocolates produced by such a method.
Among conventional methods for producing decorative chocolates by introducing a plurality of fluidized chocolate materials of different colors into a mold to form patterns, there is known a method including the steps of mixing two or more chocolate materials of different colors in a storage tank in advance, and introducing the mixed materials into a mold. However, it is difficult with this method to maintain a fixed pattern of the decorative chocolates since the chocolate materials are mixed in the storage tank, and the storage tank lowers the spatial efficiency.
There is also known a method including the steps of separately introducing chocolate materials of different colors through separate vertically extending extending nozzles into a mold, allowing the streams of the chocolate materials to merge or mix in the mold, followed by solidification (for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 9-23818). This method, however, requires combination of separate nozzles each extending vertically, which lowers spatial efficiency. In addition, combination and fixation of vertically extending nozzles are difficult. Thus, only limited patterns can be provided, and changes to desired patterns cannot be made easily. In addition, since the chocolate materials are not designed to be introduced simultaneously into the mold, a pattern in a plurality of colors can be formed only on the surface of the chocolates, but not deep inside thereof.
There is further known a method including the steps of introducing a fluidized chocolate material of a certain color into a mold, solidifying the same, then introducing another fluidized chocolate material of different color into the mold, and solidifying the same. However, this method requires the chocolate materials to be introduced into the mold in two or more layers. This complicates the process, and the interface between the materials of different colors cannot be made smooth.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an industrially applicable and effective method for producing decorative food, that enables easy production of decorative food having a pattern in two or more distinct colors, that enables continuous and efficient production of such decorative foods having substantially the identical patterns, and that facilitates pattern change to desired patterns.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a nozzle assembly which enables efficient production of decorative food having a pattern in two or more distinct colors in a limited space, which facilitates pattern change to a variety of desired patterns, and which can be used for industrial production of decorative food.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a decorative chocolate which has an excellently regular pattern in two or more distinct colors, smooth surface, and visually excellent interfaces between the materials of different colors.
According to the present invention, there is provided a method for producing decorative food having a pattern in two or more distinct colors by introducing at least two fluidized food materials of different colors into a mold having one or more unit cavities, comprising the steps of:
separately measuring out a predetermined amount of each of said food materials for introduction into said mold,
separately but substantially simultaneously supplying each of said measured food materials to an introduction region above a nozzle assembly having at least two discrete passages, each said introduction region communicating with said passages,
advancing each of said food materials in a substantially horizontal direction in said nozzle assembly, while a stream of each of said food materials is branched to form branched streams of each of said food materials,
separately discharging said branched streams of each of said food materials from lower portion of said nozzle assembly,
substantially simultaneously introducing said separately discharged branched streams into one of said one or more unit cavities to allow merging of said streams, and
solidifying said merged streams of said food materials to form a solidified food, and demolding the solidified food.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a method for producing decorative food as mentioned above, comprising the steps of:
separately measuring out a predetermined amount of each of said food materials for introduction into said mold,
separately but substantially simultaneously supplying each of said measured food materials to an introduction region above a nozzle assembly having at least two discrete passages, each said introduction region communicating with said passages,
advancing each of said food materials in a substantially horizontal direction in said nozzle assembly, while a stream of each of said food materials is branched to form branched streams of each of said food materials,
merging said branched streams of each of said food materials immediately before introduction into the mold, and discharging merged streams of said food materials from lower portion of said nozzle assembly,
substantially simultaneously introducing discharged merged streams of said food materials into one of said one or more unit cavities,
solidifying said merged streams of said food materials to form a solidified food, and demolding the solidified food.
According to the present invention, there is further provided a nozzle assembly for use in the aforementioned method for producing decorative food, said nozzle assembly branching each stream of at least two fluidized food materials of different colors into multiple streams, and guiding said multiple streams to predetermined locations in a mold having one or more unit cavities, said nozzle assembly comprising:
an upper nozzle plate,
at least one lower nozzle plate positioned below and in contact with said upper nozzle plate,
each of said upper and lower nozzle plates having at least two discrete passages,
each of said passages in said upper nozzle plate guiding one of said food materials in a substantially horizontal direction, and having at least one communication port each in communication with corresponding one of said passages in said lower nozzle plate,
each of said passages in said lower nozzle plate having at least one discharge port for discharging one of said food materials into one of said one or more unit cavities, at least one of said passages in the lower nozzle plate being a horizontal guide passage for guiding one of said food materials in a substantially horizontal direction,
wherein number of said at least one discharge port of each said horizontal guide passage is larger than number of said at least one communication port of a passage in the upper nozzle plate in communication with said horizontal guide passage.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a decorative chocolate produced by the above method having a pattern in two or more distinct colors on its surface and continuously deep inside, wherein interfaces between said food materials of different colors on its surface are smooth.